'Underrated' Yankees ace Gerrit Cole dominates Twins with 2-hit shutout

April 17 (UPI) -- Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole allowed just two hits and struck out 10 in a dominant New York Yankees win over the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. The five-time All-Star lowered his season ERA to 0.95 is off to a 4-0 start.

Cole issued just one walk and threw 73 of his 109 pitches for strikes in the 2-0 victory Sunday in New York.

"I think on some level he has been underrated and under appreciated," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, when asked about Cole. "He is a great pitcher, who I believe is going to end up in Cooperstown one day.

"He is so responsible, diligent and cares about his profession, his team and his teammates. He is all in and takes a lot of responsibility in being that guy."

Yankees third baseman D.J. LeMahieu plated both runs in the victory. He ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the third, which brought in slugger Aaron Judge. LeMahieu clubbed a 340-foot solo homer in the bottom of the sixth for the final run of the game.

Cole did not allow a hit until Twins first baseman Donovan Solano singled in the top of the fifth. Outfielder Michael A. Taylor recorded the other hit off Cole in the top of the sixth. Cole then retired the next 11 hitters in order to end the game.

The Yankees and Twins split the four-game series. The Twins beat the Yankees 11-2 in the series opener Thursday in New York. The Yankees combined to outscore the Twins 8-1 over the final two games of the series.

"What a good end to the series," Cole told the YES Network. "We needed to defend our turf and we played a great game."

Cole who was a combined 29-16 over the last two seasons, earned wins in each of his first four starts this season. He also leads the league with 28.1 innings pitched in 2023.

The Yankees (10-6) will host the Los Angeles Angels (7-8) at 7:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The Twins (10-6) will battle the Boston Red Sox (8-8) at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday in Boston.